This invention relates to an information playback apparatus and method as well as a recording medium, and more particularly to an information playback apparatus and method as well as a recording medium wherein, where a scene which is not preferable for children to see such as a scene of violence is recorded on a disk, the disk can be prevented from being played back.
A DVD (Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disk) on which image information is recorded has been and is being popularized recently. The DVD sometimes has information regarding parental lock recorded thereon. If a parental level for the parental lock is set to the DVD, then only those who know a password set in advance can enjoy video information recorded on the DVD.
A conventional DVD player executes such a playback process as illustrated in a flow chart of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, first in step S1, the DVD player reads out a parental level recorded on a disk (DVD) from the disk. The parental level is set in advance by a manufacturer of the DVD.
In step S2, the DVD player discriminates whether or not a parental level is read out. If a parental level is read out, then the processing advances to step S3, in which the DVD player reads out a parental level stored in the DVD player itself.
In step S4, the DVD player compares the parental level read out from the disk in step S1 and the parental level stored in the DVD player itself and read out in step S3 with each other to discriminate whether or not the parental level of the DVD player is severer than the parental level of the disk. If the parental level of the DVD player is severer than the parental level of the disk, then the processing advances to step S5, in which the DVD player causes a password inputting screen to be displayed. When the password inputting screen is displayed, a user will input a password to the DVD player. The password is usually known only to a parent who owns the DVD player but not known to a child. Accordingly, the parent can input the correct password, but the child cannot input the correct password.
In step S6, the DVD player waits until a password is inputted, and when a password is inputted, the processing advances to step S7, in which it is discriminated whether or not the inputted password is correct. If the inputted password is correct, then the processing advances to step S8, in which the DVD player plays back the disk in a normal manner. On the contrary if it is discriminated in step S7 that the inputted password is not correct, then the processing advances to step S9, in which the DVD player executes controlled or restricted playback.
In the normal playback process, for example, scenes B suitable for adults are played back and displayed next to a scene A as seen in FIG. 2, and then a further scene D is played back and displayed. On the other hand, in the controlled playback process, a scene C suitable for children is played back and displayed next to the scene A, and then the scene D is played back and displayed. Accordingly, a child who does not know the password cannot enjoy the scenes B which are suitable for adults.
If it is discriminated in step S4 that the parental level of the DVD player is not severer than the parental level of the disk, then the processing advances to step S8, in which a normal playback process is executed immediately. In particular, if the parent considers that its child may enjoy a disk which includes some violent scenes from the reason that the child is not too young or from some other reason, then the parent will set the parental level of the DVD player to a comparatively low value. In such an instance as just described, the disk can be played back in a normal manner.
Also when it is discriminated in step S2 that a parental level is not read out from the reason that the DVD disk has no parental level recorded thereon or from some other reason, the processing advances to step S8, in which normal playback of the DVD disk is performed.
In this manner, the conventional DVD player can inhibit a DVD disk from being played back normally by a child or the like who does not know a password if a parental level is set to the disk. However, the conventional DVD player is disadvantageous in that, where a parental level is not recorded on a DVD disk, the DVD player cannot restrict enjoyment of the DVD disk even where the DVD disk includes an image of a scene whose enjoyment by children is not desirable.
Similarly, the conventional DVD player is disadvantageous in that, even if a parental level is recorded on a DVD disk, if the set parental level of the DVD disk is comparatively indulgent and the DVD includes images whose enjoyment by children is not desirable, the DVD player cannot restrict enjoyment of the disk unless the parental level stored in the DVD player is changed to a severer level.